VARIABLE GENERATION OPERATING RESERVE TASK FORCE

Don Badley, Chair

VGORTF Report to Operating CommitteeJuly 14, 2015

Salt Lake City, Utah

VGORTF MISSION

To ascertain the different methods of estimating Regulating Reserve needed for next-day and within-day operating conditions related to variable generation.

VGORTF SURVEY

15 Question Survey Constructed– Distributed to all Balancing Authority Areas (BAA)

on February 21, 2014– Requested return by March 14, 2014– Last completed survey received was on June 23,

2015. – Twenty two BAAs completed the survey. – Only four BAAs with variable generation did not

complete and return the survey.

SURVEY FACTS

• Due to a lack of monitoring or record keeping, many survey questions could not be answered by every BAA.

• BAA survey responses, compiled survey results, and a summary of the results by survey question are posted on the WECC website.

SURVEY REVELATIONS

• Wind Generation– 19,215 MW wind generation installed within

WECC.– Aggregated largest amount of wind generation

within a single BAA is 5,900 MW.– 60% of BAAs with wind generation use 100% of it

to serve load within their own BAA.

SURVEY REVELATIONS

• Solar Generation– 6,185 MW of utility-scale solar generation

capacity installed within WECC– Aggregated largest amount of utility-scale solar

generation within a single BAA is 5,499 MW.– 2,576 MW of distributed solar (PV) generation

capacity installed within WECC– Largest amount of distributed solar generation

within a single BAA is 2,000 MW.

SURVEY REVELATIONS

• 13 BAAs reported losing various quantities of wind generation over a 15-minute period due to high speed cutout. – The single largest amount lost by a single BAA

was 958 MW. • The largest amount of solar generation lost

over a 15-minute period by a single BAA was 495 MW.

SURVEY QUESTIONS

• BAA Authority– Dispatch control• Under what circumstances?• Ability to disconnect?

– Ability to deny schedules• Under what circumstances?

SURVEY QUESTIONS

• Forecasting Variable Generation– How often?– Are commercial services used?

• Day-ahead Planning– Balancing – considerations for regulating – Unique components to consider

SURVEY QUESTIONS

• Would you support a common regional method for determining the amount of regulating reserve required due to variable generation?

WHERE TO FROM HERE

• Survey results were just compiled last week. • Task Force must meet to see discuss the

results and determine what more needs to be done.

Variable Generation Operating

Reserve

Task Force

July 2015

Questions?